Rob Granito Relaunch: 14 New Comic Titles With Josh Hoopes

I just don’t know what to think. Rob Granito is creating a new line of comic books under the name Bad Boy Comics with his… creative partner Josh Hoopes. But not quite yet. His wife Alison tells me “rather than self-publish a comic outright, Rob and his partner are going to make some prints showcasing the many characters and storylines they are dreaming up, to encite fan interest and suggestions. Here are the titles being presented!”

She then told me about six of the upcoming fourteen titles/prints they intend to create.

THOSE WHO TRESPASS – This is a self-contained graphic novel or mini-series showing a near-future in which a very powerful super-hero has done the impossible: he has eradicated crime. In this gripping storyline, the noble hero has defeated all crime and all villains, but then the world, and our society, begin to change. Other super-heroes begin to resent this as they are now made obsolete, and the villains live in fear. “There is a real sense of understanding in this storyark, the way you kind of would see between the Mafia and the Cops”, says Mr. Granito, “and me and Josh came up with a lot of good commentary on that. The heroes and the villains kind of have this bitter understanding, that this dude put them both out of business, and they can’t exsist without each other! So they come up with this uneasy truce, like, lets eliminate him and go back to fighting, go back to how it was, if you win, great, if i win, great, but we still get to go back to what we know best. Theres a sense of a lot of these characters like, not knowing what to do, because all they knew how to be was super-heroes. It’s really deep stuff and nothing that they ever cover in comics. I hope we get enough interest to do it, because it will blow people’s minds.” This storyline features an entire new universe of original characters and concepts.
MISTRESS – Mistress is a sexy sorceress, using magical powers, wiccan culture, voodoo knowledge, and other things, to battle zombies and other supernatural threats. “We don’t see strong women heroes”, says Mr. Granito, “and we came up with this girl who is just the best in magic, but still has that tough edge, while still being very sexy for all readers. There will be a lot of humor in this title, too. Men and women alike will really get into it.”
DUAL NATURE – This series will focus on an enterprising character who,like many classic comic characters, devotes his mind and body towards being a costume adventurer, but with a catch: He aspires to be both a masked crimefighter AND a masked criminal. “This was an idea of Josh”, says Mr. Granito, “and it blew the roof off. This dude is trying to use the police and the mob against each other, by being sometimes a hero, and sometimes a villain. I mean, he does have a conscience, but he also wants more out of life, so, its like, this works! You will never see this kind of stuff in any other comic. He’s trained to be like a brilliant acrobat, kind of like Daredevil and Batman, but it’s like, why only have one masked identity? This series will ask those questions and get readers and fans talking. We are still designing his costume, but I am proud of this concept already.”
CARNAL – This is a series about a mutant from the future who is cat-like and can barely be controlled. He arrives in the present day after fighting in Gladiator fights of the future, and takes to fighting crime with bloodthirsty results, leaving violence in his wake. This will be a controversial character, says Mr. Granito.
THEY RISE – A series about zombies rising from the grave, but with a new catch: these zombies rise with super-powers and can fly and blast energy bolts from their hands. “I was thinking about this whole zombie craze, and its like, what more can you do to make it exciting?” asked Mr. Granito. “And I was like, what if the zombies had powers? Imagine how much more scary and terrifying that would be, to have to escape from these things that could like, fly and hover above you. They could blast you at any time and then feast on your cooked flesh! I personally believe it’s one of the most original ideas in comics right now.”

FUSION – This series, tells the story of a young urban youth who resists joining gangs, and, gaining energy powers, becomes the protector of the ghetto, The Fusion. The Fusion will have an arch enemy in The Chainz, a gang-banger who controls most of the hood, but Fusion resists the temptations of the streets, aspiring to be a hero once his grandparents are killed. This is also a character BadBoy Comics will be selling inexpensive prints of.

Rob Granito rose to infamy for swiping work without credit and selling it as his own, claiming credits that were not his own in the process. Josh Hoopes has stolen large sums of money and work from comic book writers, artists and publishers in a series of scams that are still shocking to this day. He has never been prosecuted for these crimes, though he does have a criminal record.

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